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ticks

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 rhetoric 08 Jul 2013
Just watched the vid on ticks - very good BUT twice it showed ticks being removed in a clockwise direction! I am not an expert but think that removal should be anticlockwise?

Just thought I should flag this up - touch wood not had one!
 Milesy 09 Jul 2013
In reply to rhetoric:

Could you not have replied on that thread then?
 OMR 09 Jul 2013
In reply to rhetoric: Don't think twisting makes any difference. I have a credit card-style tick remover which works well and doesn't involve any twisting. (Apart from me twisting at an awkward angle to reach the little buggers.)
 IPPurewater 09 Jul 2013
In reply to rhetoric: Its clockwise in the Northen hemisphere and anticlockwise in the Southern !
 Euge 09 Jul 2013
In reply to rhetoric: Looking at videos on youtube, they pull straight out and don't twist???

E
 Rob Laird 09 Jul 2013
In reply to rhetoric:

When a vet removed a tick from my dog last month, he just pulled it straight out...
 hokkyokusei 09 Jul 2013
In reply to rhetoric:
> Just watched the vid on ticks - very good BUT twice it showed ticks being removed in a clockwise direction! I am not an expert but think that removal should be anticlockwise?
>

http://www.bada-uk.org/correct-tick-removal
http://www.lymediseaseaction.org.uk/about-ticks/tick-removal/
 xplorer 09 Jul 2013
In reply to rhetoric:

How widespread are they in the Peak District and Lake District?

Never noticed any on myself! And have been walking and climbing for years.
 Flinticus 09 Jul 2013
Has anyone ever put a tick on a leech?
 BarmyAlex118 09 Jul 2013
In reply to rhetoric: The ticks in the lakes tend to only effect areas which have lots of ferns and a high sheep count, that said i have been lucky so far to not catch a single tick and live in deep fear of getting one.

Is there a way to prevent them from latching on to you ? I heard rumors that midge spray tends to repel them away or is that just wishful thinking ?
 Wesley Orvis 09 Jul 2013
In reply to rhetoric:

Had one last summer and one this summer, both from the Langdale valley, pulled straight out with out any twisting.
 ColinD 09 Jul 2013
In reply to xplorer:
Bizarrely, I was talking to my mate at Ravensdale about them last year. He's never had one or seen one. On leaving the belay for pitch2; Conclusor. He said are they small and wiggle a bit? If so you have one in your ankle. So I did, right on the shoe line and was a good size so was more concerned about squishing it than the pitch.

First I'd had in peak. It fell off on the descent. There was a dead bird near the start, I can only imagine it travelled from there.

Heard a girl in Warrington got Lymes following a known tick experience in a park on her lunch, was 6+years ago. So they are about, but I'm not checking like I would be on the west coast of scotland for example.

We also got quiet a few when down in the count house; cornwall, a few years back. All over the gravel/fields then. Now carry a green twizzler, Lymes is horrid!
 John Burns 11 Jul 2013
In reply to rhetoric: Ticks are an increasing problem in the Highlands. I got six on one walk. They are mainly very small and hard to spot until you get home. I know three people who have had Lymmes disease, something I'd only heard of in the past. This year they don't seem to have been quite so bad as last year, which might be something to do with the weather.

I don't think it matters which way you twist them. The important thing to do is try not to squeeze the tick as you remove it, as this will push the contents of its gut into your blood stream. The other thing is to watch how the tick bite heals. If you get a circle around the bite or if it looks infected go to the doctor. As far as I know there is no test for Lymmes disease and he'll just hit you with anti-biotics which will clear any infection up as long as you catch it early.

On the plus side I've had hundreds of tick bites and never had a problem so don't get paranoid about them. Happy hiking.

John Burns
http://johndburns.wordpress.com

 Colin Moody 11 Jul 2013
In reply to John Burns:
As far as I know there is no test for Lymmes disease and he'll just hit you with anti-biotics which will clear any infection up as long as you catch it early.
>

Yes there is, my doctor sent away a blood sample after I reacted badly to a bite, it was negative so I didn't get antibiotics.
 Milesy 11 Jul 2013
I came down with bad flu symptoms a few weeks after a bite last year so got anti biotics without tests. I told them to just give me a private prescription to pay for it as a central scotland GP in my opinion doesn't have the experience or knowledge to diagnose or treat it so I would rather be safe. Its no skin of their nose.
 lazzaw 11 Jul 2013
In reply to John Burns: You can test for Lymes disease but the test suffers from quite a lot of false negatives and, as it checks for antibodies, can't be done too soon. The 'Bullseye' ring or redness around a tick bite is an indicator of Lymes but isn't always present. Keeping the tick so that, if you get symptoms that may be Lymes, the tick can be tested is advised.

I believe there is a big variation in the awareness of Lymes between doctors. A friend's brother is a deer farmer (so high risk of exposure). Last year he went down with Lymes but they had a massive fight to get him tested or treated for it despite ending up in intensive care. The consultant in charge of his treatment just kept telling them that 'We don't see Lymes disease here'.

I guess you won't diagnose any Lymes disease if you never test for it, even in the deer farmer with symptoms of Lymes where the family is telling you it is Lymes.

I'd definitely recommend the O'tom tick remover (get it from a vets) which you DO twist (clockwise when the moon is waxing, anticlockwise when it is waning. Or is it the other way around?!). If you use tweezers then don't twist as you are more likely to break the mouthparts off and leave them in you. The important thing is not to squeeze the body of the tick as it is more likely to regurgitate Lymes into you.
 Dan Lane 11 Jul 2013
In reply to BarmyAlex118:
>
> Is there a way to prevent them from latching on to you ? I heard rumors that midge spray tends to repel them away or is that just wishful thinking ?

I've recently bought some midge spray called Smidge, it's some Scottish stuff and does claim to repel ticks too...yet to try it out!

 Bimble 11 Jul 2013
In reply to BarmyAlex118:
>
> Is there a way to prevent them from latching on to you ? I heard rumors that midge spray tends to repel them away or is that just wishful thinking ?

Mix 1 part tea-tree oil, 2 parts water in a spray-bottle & apply it to your trousers or shorts/legs. That should keep the little sods away.

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